(Oops, another long one!)
The list of locations that I didn't think I would be visiting while in Europe keeps growing... First Berlin, then Croatia, and now Budapest. I think it should be known that I did not plan any trips before I came here because I didn't want to have events set before I met new people here to travel with. I wanted to come up with places to go with the new friends I make here. What’s a better bonding experience than exploring all over Europe with nothing but a tiny backpack and the shoes on your feet?
This weekend our destination was Budapest, Hungary and I can definitely say I would visit this city again if given the chance. Friday morning, a small-ish group of us from different schools around Vienna (all apart of the EBN club [Erasmus Buddy Network]) took the three-hour bus ride to Budapest at 7:30am. I believe that everyone was planning to make up for the early wake-up time by sleeping on the bus, but our "guides" had different plans for us and passed out beers and played Hungarian music at 9am in the morning. Since we arrived quite early in the afternoon, we still had a whole day of events planned for us, starting with a guided bus/walking tour around different highlights of the city. We started at Hero's Square with a bunch of statues of famous Hungarian leaders as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We went all the way to the south side of the city across the river Danube to the "Buda" part of Budapest to Gellert Hill, the highest part of the city. We saw a beautiful view of the land surrounding us along with a bit of a history lesson. The next places on the agenda were Matthias Church and the Fisherman's Bastion that surrounds it. This was a beautiful Roman Catholic Church, and the bastion surrounding it was just for show (it has no actual purpose besides looking pretty). While there we had some time to walk around, so some friends and I got a Chimney Cake, which is a popular eastern European dessert snack. Think of it as a giant, hollow, crunchy churro tube, but better. One of the perks of planning trips through the EBN Network is that all our dinners are all-you-can-eat. And let me tell you, I ate it all. It was an awesome Hungarian buffet style restaurant that was surprisingly very high quality. After becoming pregnant with twin food babies, we got ready for the night out. I was told by many sources that the nightlife of Budapest isn't something to miss out on, and after experiencing it first hand, I can say that the nightlife of Budapest is more active than the daytime of many cities I've been to. There are probably equal amounts of people on the streets at night then there are in the daytime, and everything is lit up. After visiting a club for a short amount of time, my friends Will, Jeff, Brennan and I took a very long stroll down along the river to look at all the beautiful buildings at night. ALL the buildings are illuminated and just this site is something I can never forget, and something that pictures don't properly portray.
Saturday was our free day to do as we please, so the four of us (Will, Brennan, Jeff and I) made it to as many places as we could fit into the time we had. We started off with the Hungarian Opera House and the Jewish Synagogue, which were both nearby our hostel. We bought tickets for a tour of the Opera later in the day, and did quite a bit of research on both of these gorgeous buildings. Our tour guide from the day before said that Vienna’s Opera House was bigger and had a more beautiful exterior, but stated that the Hungarian Opera House was more beautiful on the inside. So of course we had to see if that was true for ourselves. The Great Synagogue in Budapest is the largest Synagogue in Europe! We were unfortunately unable to go inside because it was closed for an event, but we were able to walk around and see the murals and statues for all the Jews killed during the Holocaust. Next we visited St. Stephen’s Basilica, which is a massive Roman-Catholic Church. Our luck and impeccable timing during this entire trip was a gift from the gods, because we were able to watch and listen to the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra who were conveniently practicing at the same time we arrived. (I uploaded two small videos of them practicing in the Gallery section of my blog). After looking around the interior of the church, we found some seats and spent a solid twenty minutes just listening. The orchestra was practicing on their own, but the church Organ player would join in for a few songs, and we could do nothing but gape and listen to the beautiful classical music we were incredibly lucky enough to hear. I really wished we could have stayed longer because as stated earlier in my blog, I love classical music and can easily have a great time at a symphony, but we had a scheduled museum tour at the House of Terror. This museum is very accurately named because it exhibits all the horrible things that the people of Hungary went through during, and after, the Second World War at the hands of the fascist Arrow-Cross and Socialist groups. After this, we needed a mood revival, so Will and I visited a Cat Café we passed earlier. I have never been to a Cat Café before, but from now on I will actively search them out. I was so close to adopting a Maine Coon cat named O’Mara because we had an immediate, unmistakable bond. Out of all the patrons in the café, she came to me, plopped herself in my lap and I was immediately attached. (There is a video of us two lovebirds in the Gallery as well). Will had to drag me out of the café for our Opera House tour with Jeff and Brennan, but I will one day go back to that café and take her home with me!… Okay, that probably won’t happen, but I will never forget you O’Mara! The Opera House tour could probably be one of the most memorable activities I did in Budapest because the interior is full of gold décor and velvet curtains. It was most definitely a picturesque Opera House you could imagine royalty and rich citizens visiting often (which they probably did). And the best part about this tour is that we paid for a semi-private performance from one of the Opera singers that perform there. Now I have never been to an Opera, nor have I personally heard an Opera singer sing before, but now I can say that I will attend many Operas in Vienna now that I have heard them sing. I have absolutely no clue what they are singing, but their voices are incredible and powerful! (And another video I added in the Gallery). To finish up the afternoon, we went back to St. Stephen's Basilica, but this time to climb to the top and get a birds-eye view from the top of the dome. After the many miles of walking, we were treated to another all-you-can-eat buffet, but Italian style this time. After way too much pasta, and a sickening amount of desserts, we met up with another group of friends to take a river cruise up and down the Danube River to get a better view of all the buildings at night. With a glass of champagne in hand, we cruised along the river learning about the architecture of all the gorgeous buildings. Fun Fact: the architect that designed Rathaus in Vienna taught the architect that designed the Parliament Building in Budapest. Rathaus is the Town Hall (literal translation) and just a few blocks away from my apartment.
Sunday was our day of rejuvenation from a long few days of non-stop walking because we were given free-reign at the Széchenyi Spa Thermal Bath. I have never seen a building like this in my life and I have nothing to compare it to. It is a massive, yellow building filled with thermal baths, saunas, and anything your pampered heart desires! A group of us wandered from bath to bath trying out the different water temperatures, but I think our favorite was the main bath in the courtyard of the Spa. After getting pruney and light-headed from the steam, Will, Jeff, Brennan and I visited Vajdahunyad Castle just across the street for the last hour we had left in Budapest. It was a small group of replica castles from around different parts and time periods of Hungary. And what’s a better way to finish off the trip than a lunch of Goulash under a castle…
Of all the places I visit around the world, whether that be now in Europe, or years ago in Mexico, I always enjoy learning a little bit about the history of the location I am visiting. While here, I learned all about Hungary dating back to when Hungary was first founded, how Batu Kahn invaded from Mongolia, how Austria and Hungary used to be one nation, and all the way to the end of World War II. Hungary’s history is fascinating and yet simultaneously saddening. Budapest is such a rich city and I really hope everyone will someday get the opportunity to visit it because it really is an amazing place!
And I was informed that my grammar and spelling is atrocious and hilarious, so here I am using grammar and spell check on Word because I write like a second grader! I swear, there are people I’ve met here who are better at speaking and writing English than I am. But that really isn’t saying much because I’ve always done poorly in my English classes for as long as I can remember. Maybe I would be better at German… Something for me to consider…
Make sure to check out the Gallery section for more pictures and videos!